Pipeline Foods Joins Organic Grain Collaboration

MINNEAPOLIS MN – May 21, 2018 – Pipeline Foods LLC, the first U.S.-based supply chain solutions company focused exclusively on non-GMO, organic, and regenerative food and feed, is proud to announce it has joined the Organic Grain Collaboration (OGC).

The OGC is an industry effort stewarded by the Organic Trade Association and the Sustainable Food Lab. This collaboration is led by organic food companies with representatives from across the supply chain that have identified the need for collaborative action to address key challenges in expanding the supply of organic grain in the U.S.

“At Pipeline Foods, we are focused on developing sustainable supply chains in agriculture to increase the availability of organic and non-GMO grains in the U.S.,” said Erin Heitkamp, managing director of Strategy, Sustainability and Assurance for Pipeline Foods. “This type of collaboration is needed to increase the size and efficiency of regional organic grain supply chains. We believe we can play a unique role in the Organic Grain Collaboration because of our farmer relationships, investment in infrastructure and commitment to supply chain transparency and traceability.”

The OGC will achieve its goal of increasing the organic grain supply and improving the resiliency of organic grain production by:

increasing sector knowledge on approaches to improve productivity and profitability of the organic grain farmer; and

reducing the barriers to entry for new organic and transitional farmers.

"Organic grain sits at the intersection of sustainability and profitability for the American farmer,” said Elizabeth Reaves, senior program director, Agriculture & Environment at the Sustainable Food Lab. “The Organic Grain Collaboration is a unique example of pre-competitive leadership to improve how the sector develops to achieve long-term goals. Leadership and knowledge-gathering underpin the collective action agenda the collaboration is working to accomplish on behalf of domestic grain production, and we’re pleased to have Pipeline Foods join the ranks of our other members.”

The collaboration is working directly with farmers and other stakeholders across the supply chain in Aroostook County, Maine and in the Northern Great Plains. Pipeline Foods has already invested in one organic grain elevator in northern North Dakota and is currently building a grain terminal in Bowbells, N.D., providing strategically aligned infrastructure support for the OGC’s Northern Great Plains initiative.